'Worst Intersection' in Abington?

Though the issue isn’t officially on the agenda April 11, Abington Police Chief William Kelly, during Wednesday night's public safety meeting, had some things to say about red light cameras

They’re needed.

Tonight, April 11, the Abington Board of Commissioners will hold a public hearing on a proposed ordinance that would allow red light cameras at three intersections in the township. Those intersections are:

• Old York and Susquehanna roads
• Moreland and Fitzwatertown roads
• Old Welsh and Old York roads

Kelly said each of the above intersections has a high rate of crashes with serious injury. He also said that it’s difficult to do “traditional traffic enforcement” at each of the above intersections. Read: there’s no place to put a police car.

“Without the use of technology, it’s virtually impossible to do any enforcement [at these intersections]," Kelly said.

Kelly showed a three-quarter overhead view of each of the intersections listed above. He went on to say that the intersection at the corner of Old York and Susquehanna roads was “unquestionably the worst in the township.”

“For all intents and purposes, no enforcement is done at that location,” he said. “It is the worst intersection in the township. [Enforcement] is such a visual thing. If you’re going to do it, it has to be done by using technology.”

As for the love-them-or-hate-them red light cameras …

Abington Police Deputy Chief Michael Webb said during a December presentation that Abington is one of 13 municipalities in the state approved to consider red light cameras due to its size and its police department’s accreditation status.

The program would be revenue neutral; the vendors receive a flat fee each month and the fee does not correlate to the number of citations issued.

The cameras:

• Capture the date, time, posted speed, approximate speed of vehicle, color of the light, length of the previous yellow light, length of red signal, and plate
• Shoot only the rear image of a vehicle
• Are not permitted to be used for surveillance
• The Vendor installs, maintains and transfers the images to the Abington Police Department

The fine:

• Is a civil fine
• Is $100
• Does not interfere with insurance premiums
• Is linked to the vehicle, not the driver
• Funds in excess of running the program go back to PennDOT for transportation enforcement grants

According to Webb, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation determines which intersections qualify for a red light camera based on congestion, traffic volume and PennDOT crash statistics. There are 12 intersections in the township that meet the criteria for having a red light camera.

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The Abington Board of Commissioners will meet Thursday, April 11 at 8 p.m. at the township building, 1176 Old York Road.